Just like the saying "How long is a piece of string" nobody can say with any degree of certainty how many calls it will take to any individual or organisation in order to make a calling campaign successful. 

We all have to start somewhere. The good news and the bad news is this: The greater the number of calls you make, the more effectively you separate yourself from the crowd. The "crowd" in this case will be anyone and everyone that has given up on ever speaking to someone after one, two or three calls.

The sun's shining outside, it seems that everyone who is anyone is on holiday.. and you still have a quota to meet. Emails give you the automated "out of office" reply, you're tempted to spend far too much time reading your friends and established contacts via social media.. then there's the phone.

Think about it: If your preferred contact is away from the office, who else does it make sense for you to contact? Their PA? Their closest colleague? Chances are you already have the answer and you're making a big excuse of ONE persons absence? The excuse can cost you for many reasons!